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Designer Interview: Patile Kalan

February 12th 2018

3 min read

With a family background closely connected to the jewellery business, it would seem that Patile Kalan’s career was predestined for greatness. The Los Angeles-based fine jewellery designer’s mother, Suzanne Kalan, is renowned for her own eye-catching creations; most notably her firework-set baguette stones that are best worn stacked on top of one another in an ambitious display of glitter and sparkle.

And with each new year bringing new opportunities, Patile has unveiled her fifth equally iconic Bloom collection, which follows the success of her late-2017 range, Amalfi. “I’ve been working on new styles and different collections for the last couple of months,” she tells MOJEH. “My mum really inspired me when I started designing the [Bloom] collection. They’re colourful pieces. They’re just so light and easy, fun and young.”

Having contributed to her mother’s KALAN by Suzanne Kalan collection since 2012, Patile is setting herself apart with vibrant hand-selected jewels, that are accented by dazzling diamonds and sapphires. “Unusual shapes are incorporated into the [Bloom] collection,” she reveals, “including hexagon-cut gemstones, as well as the emerald-cut and baguette-cut.”

Patile’s designs are conceptualised after hours of experimentation. “I play with the stones a lot,” she says of her creative process. “When I designed my first collection, I did it all in yellow gold. That decision was made largely because of the region, as well as past sales we’ve done here and the feedback we received from our customers about what they like. That’s what has helped me grow the collection. Seeing what people were liking, and also the colours.”

MOJEH's favourite pieces from Patile Kalan's Bloom collection

When asked to name her favourite piece from Bloom, Patile hesitates. “It’s very hard to choose,” she laughs, “but I really like the heart necklace that we have.” An appropriate choice for Valentine’s Day in February, MOJEH muses. “Yes, exactly!”

With her mother’s iconic Fireworks collection heavily inspiring Bloom, Patile hopes to attract a clientele similar to Suzanne Kalan’s, but also aims to engage a younger generation. “I feel like it’s [Bloom] a younger choice to the Fireworks collection, and it’s more easily accessible for the younger woman who is buying her own jewellery. Women aren’t waiting for men to buy their own jewellery anymore, so I think it’s a fun and young twist that’s easy to throw on before you leave the house.”

And as for the Middle Eastern woman’s jewellery preferences, Patile’s constantly in admiration. “I find that women from the Middle East are more daring when it comes to their jewellery. They like to be different and they don’t like to have the same things. So it’s nice to have all these different options in the collection. There’s such a wide range of different pieces for everyone with different tastes.”